al-Zahr al-Fayyah Qut al-Qulub wa Ghidha al-Arwah Mahabbat Allah Jalla wa Izz wa Alamatuha
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al-Zahr al-Fayyah Qut al-Qulub wa Ghidha al-Arwah Mahabbat Allah Jalla wa Izz wa Alamatuha (The Fragrant Blossom: Nourishment of Hearts and Food of Souls — Love of Allah, Exalted and Mighty, and Its Signs) is a spiritual treatise by Azhari Ahmad Mahmoud on the nature of divine love, its practical signs, and the means to attain it .
Subject and Scope
The work is directed as an address to the reader on prioritizing love of the Creator over fleeting worldly pleasures and created beings . Drawing on scriptural evidence and quotations from classical scholars such as Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn al-Jawzi, and Ibn Rajab, the author presents divine love as the highest purpose of human existence and the nourishment that sustains the heart .
The text outlines classical definitions of love, citing Sahl ibn Abd Allah al-Tustari and others who described it as embracing obedience, departing from wrongdoing, freeing oneself from subservience to anything other than the Beloved, and maintaining perpetual remembrance .
Key Themes
Signs of Divine Love
The treatise emphasizes that claiming love of Allah requires practical proof, citing the "verse of love" ( قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ [Al 'Imran: 31]) and remarks by Abu Sulayman al-Darani regarding tests of sincerity . Sincere love is identified through several specific manifestations :
- Longing to meet Allah in Paradise and attain His pleasure .
- Loving what Allah loves, including loving righteous believers for His sake .
- Total obedience to His commands and abstaining from His prohibitions .
- Devotion to the Quran, intimacy in His private converse (munajah), and focus during prayer, illustrated by early ascetic figures such as Amir ibn Abd Qays and Muslim ibn Yasar .
- Humility toward believers, firmness against disbelievers, and striving in Allah's cause without fearing reproach, in accordance with Surah al-Ma'idah (5:54) .
Means of Attaining Divine Love
The treatise details ten causes that generate love for Allah, summarized from Ibn al-Qayyim :
- Reciting the Quran with contemplation and understanding of its meanings .
- Drawing closer to Allah through voluntary acts of devotion (nawafil) after fulfilling obligatory ones .
- Continual remembrance of Allah with the tongue, heart, and actions .
- Giving precedence to what Allah loves over personal desires when tempted .
- Contemplating Allah's Divine Names and Attributes .
- Reflecting on His inward and outward blessings and benevolence .
- Experiencing complete brokenness and humility of heart before Him .
- Seclusion with Him during the time of the Divine Descent in the night, reciting His speech and concluding with repentance and seeking forgiveness .
- Keeping company with sincere lovers of Allah and benefiting from their speech .
- Removing every barrier that stands between the heart and Allah .
The Delight of Faith and Protection of the Lovers
The author discusses the prophetic narration on experiencing the sweetness of faith, citing commentary from Abu Muhammad ibn Abi Jamra (as transmitted by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani) and al-Nawawi on how love of Allah transforms obedience into joy . The treatise also incorporates sayings from early ascetics such as Fath al-Mawsili, Muhammad ibn al-Nadr al-Harithi, and Dhu al-Nun al-Misri . It highlights the Quranic descriptions of those whom Allah loves—the God-fearing, the equitable, the repentant, the purified, the patient, and those who fight in ranks in His path—and concludes with their protection from Satanic influence and the superior reward awaiting them in the afterlife .
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